A Muddled Mess
by djlee6
Summary: Keef has decided to visit Zim after all these years. Now that he has his eyesight back, he wants to see the one he's been obsessed with for all these years. Mostly fluff...


I know I have a lot of updates I need to do on my Soul Eater fics but I got a ton of Invader Zim stuff on my computer and since I've loved the show forever...well, I figured why not write for this show too.

First attempt at Invader Zim...so enjoy~

Disclaimer: I do not own Invader Zim. Obviously...

Note: this fic takes place while the human characters -such as Dib and Keef and Melvin and whatever- are in Highschool. Gaz is a freshman and Zim, Dib, and the others are Sophmores. Just to give you a general idea...

ooooooo

Keef POV

After the whole incident that happened when I was ten, my family moved away, thinking it was what was best for me. Now that some time had passed, though, my family figured that it would be okay for us to move back. Dad was given a great job offer and didn't want to turn it down, and Mom finally agreed after I promised that I would keep going to regular counseling meetings.

For years I had been seeing a therapist because of what happened to me back then...

Not that I think it helped. After all, not a day has passed that I haven't thought about that mezmerizing former classmate of mine...The one that used to call me his best friend, even if it was for a short time and he did try to hurt me afterward...

Zim...

Even thinking about him made shivers run down my spine. The last time I saw him was years ago when I had tried to cheer him up by throwing a party for him. My memory is kind of fuzzy, so I don't really remember exactly what went wrong...All I really know is that I let myself into the house and Zim was standing there in the dark with a gift held out to me...I should have thought something was off by the dark smile on his face, but at the time I had just been so happy to have a friend that I took the gift without thinking...and then there was a horrible pain in m eyes for a moment...

And then things went fuzzy...The last thing I remember, I fell off a roof. The ambulance was called after some lady carrying groceries home saw me fall to the ground. At least...that's what the doctors told me when I woke up. But I hadn't been concerned about my health. I didn't care about the bruises, the broken arm, or the possibility of having a concussion. I just kept asking about Zim. When they told me that no one was with me other than a squirell, I refused to believe it. 'No,' I told them, 'Zim was with me...We got into a small fight over a nut...'

Well...Mom and Dad were pretty worried and decided that moving was the best thing, to give me a fresh start and then I could see someone about what happened.

To be honest, I never really cared about what happened that day, at least not as far as my injuries are concerned. I only thought one thing over and over again: Zim was feeling sick and sad that day and I didn't get that party like I promised Gir I would.

And so here I am now, standing in front of that familiar and strange green house. After all of these years, it hadn't changed a bit.

I shivered in the Autumn air, nuzzled into my bright blue jacket that was covering a black long sleeve shirt with a single rainbow bar going all the way across the chest and wishing I had worn thicker jeans instead of these faded skinny jeans. My cheeks were flushed from the chilled air and my toes curled and uncurled in my tennis shoes. I was nervous...I bit my lip and brushed some of my red curls from my green eyes as I finally got the courage to walk to the front door, trying to ignore the creepy gnomes whose eyes seemed to follow me.

Taking a deep breath, I knocked on the front door.

As I waited nervously for a response, I racked my brain like I had many times before over what Zim would look like after all this time. What would he be like? Would his voice still be the same or would it be deeper? When the knob turned, I held my breath, waiting to lay my eyes on my obsession for the last several years...

...Only to see Gir there instead.

I smiled. The weird green dog hadn't changed a bit. "Oh, h-hey, Gir," I gave a small wave, shivering a little from the cold. "Is Zim home? I was hoping to see him,"

Gir smiled and waved his nubby arms excitedly. "Master's downstairs!"

A talking green dog...If only my therapist was here with me. When I told her about Gir, she thought I was deranged. "Can I come in and see him, then? Or is he busy?"

"I can take you to Master~" Gir then ran to the other side of the living room, leaving the door wide open and pushed something against the wall.

I stepped in and closed the door behind me. "What are you doing, G-" Before I could get an answer, the floor opened, revealing a round metal platform. Confused, I moved closer and Gir took the opportunity to push me onto it before going over to the couch and playing with a rubber pig toy. Just as I was about to ask what I was supposed to do, the platform lowered and I sunk beneath the floor, the opening closing back up over my head.

I felt kind of nervous and stayed as still as possible on the platform, my eyes scanning over the walls and wires, the blue light surrounding the platform, and the weird symbol I was standing on...It looked like a face almost but...it definitely wasn't human...It looked like it had antennas...

I didn't get a chance to think about it much more as the platform stopped and the metal wall before me opened, revealing a strange laboratory filled with screens, machinery, tubes, and had a common theme of deep pinks and purples, much like the outfit that I remembered Zim always wore.

I stepped off the device and looked around, taking in the organized mess. Our society had a lot of technological advances, but this looked...unique in some way. I couldn't put my finger on it...

My thoughts were cut off when I heard metal clanging against some hard surface.

I smiled to myself, knowing it had to be Zim, and quickly moved to the direction of the sound, keeping my eyes peeled for him.

When I got closer, a voice broke the air that sent shivers up and down my spine: "Ridiculous! What a complete waste of time!" There were more mutterings following the complaint, but I didn't care to listen. That was definitely Zim! There was no mistaking it!

I turned a corner, my heart racing a mile a minute as my eyes found him in an instant: that lean and muscular form, still dressed in black boots and gloves, his black pants reflective but not leather...it left little to the imagination and made me bite my lower lip...He also had the same kind of top: a dark pink striped vest looking area (though clearly it was just a design), the long sleeves a lighter pink but still following the theme of thin black stripes. His hair was different...Rather than sticking up and being slicked all around, he left it loose. It reflected a deep green that I couldn't tell was from the weird lights or some dye. And that strange thing on his back still...

Taking a deep breath, I moved forward into the room, his back to me. "Z-Zim?"

He froze, turning to me with a hateful and defensive look in his eye that made me visibly flinch before it morphed into confusion, his purple eyes scanning me up and down. "What are you doing down here, human? Did your parental until never inform you of personal space?!"

I smiled nervously. "Z-Zim, it's me, buddy...K-Keef..." I never had a stuttering problem before, but I could hardly believe that he was really standing in front of me after all these years.

"Keef?" He scanned over me again before a look of recognition passed his features. "I see...So you got your eyes back..."

"A-actually, I got a donor..." I frowned. "How did you know my eyes were messed up?"

He ignored my question and instead turned back to the table filled with weird tools. "Sit on the bench there," he gestured lazily, back still to me. I was a little confused, but did as he said and sat up on the bench, seeing small spots of discoloration in a couple places. When he finally turned and walked over to me, I felt my cheeks heat up. I could swear that his hips were doing the slightest swaying movement. When he stopped in front of me, he was so close, it took all I had to not lean up and kiss him, instead keeping my eyes forward. But for some reason, the fabric of his shirt being so close didn't help either...The light pink material was covering his neck, another hint of his unspoken modesty, but all it did was make me wonder what he really looked like under all those clothes...

He cut off my train of thought, grabbing my chin and forcing me to look up. My eyes went wide and blood rushed to my cheeks, a million ideas of what he was planning to do running through my head...

I didn't think he'd pull up a small light and turn it on directly in my eyes. He moved it back and forth a few times, watching me closely and making me feel self-concious. After a moment, he turned it off and placed it down beside me before bringing his hand up instead and waving it back and forth. Three fingers...

Sighing, he took the light and heading back to the table with the tools. "You're right...Those aren't the ones I gave you,"

"Gave me?"

Once again, he ignored my question. "So, what are you doing here? Looking for revenge? Planning to pitifully question why I did it? Or are you finally on Dib's side in assuming I'm an alien?"

"I didn't come here for any of that," I frowned. "I just wanted to see you,"

"And you expect me to believe that?" He turned back to me, crossing his arms over his chest and leaning against the small table, his eyes dark.

"I'd like you to," I admitted, looking down at my hands and fidgeting a bit. "I mean...we were best friends, right? Why wouldn't you believe me?"

"You also tried to drag a mob of Earth children to my base!" He snapped, making me flinch.

"I just wanted to throw a party for you! I mean...you were sick and I wanted to cheer you up..."

"Cheer me up?"

"Yeah, you seemed unhappy,"

It was quiet for a while before his scoff broke the silence. "You're right. I was unhappy," he moved to stand in front of me again, forcing me to look up. "Do you want to know why I was unhappy?" I nodded, not knowing what other answer to give. In all honesty, I was curious, but I didn't think he'd ever offer to tell me why. "I was unhappy because some pathetic Earth child couldn't understand the meaning of the word 'fired' and insisted on continuing to bother me! Even going as far as to bother me now." He shook his head, looking disgusted. "Leave. Now. And don't think to pester me again,"

My jaw dropped and I leapt off the table, grabbing his shoulder as he turned to leave me. "Zim, no! Please! Just listen to me for a minute! I didn't mean to make you mad!"

"Mad?!" He flung me from him, making my lower back hit the bench and making me wince from the sharp pain. "I was furious! Don't you think it was out of line to go as far to call me back to back, stroll into my home without my consent, SPEND THE NIGHT, and then invite all of those grime covered children into my base- my HOME- without my knowledge?!"

I bit my lip. When he put it that way, he was right to be upset. I did kinda go overboard...but it was only because I didn't have any friends before Zim..."I'm sorry, Zim...I get why you're mad..."

"And you think that coming back here, that you can pretend to be friends again?" He huffed. "I need no one. And I made a mistake in lying and saying I did." He began to stride away...and I was going to let him...but a single sentence slipped from me before I could stop it:

"What about pretending you don't need anyone?"

I instantly regretted saying it. It wasn't that I didn't think that there wasn't a grain of truth in it, but the way he froze up, his form rigid...he looked like a dangerous predator that would rip me limp from limp. When his voice came, it was so cold I felt like I might get frostbite. "Say that again?"

It wasn't a request...It was a dare...

I stayed quiet, not daring to move...I wouldn't have taken a breath if my body didn't require it. But somehow...I think the silence only provoked him more.

He turned back to me, looking like he was ready to kill someone. I could see his gloved hands clenched into fists and shaking a bit. There was also some blue coloring his cheeks...I guess that's how his face changes color due to his skin condition...But this wasn't a blush...He was just furious...

"I said: say that again," His voice was so quiet I almost didn't hear it.

I was starting to think that I was going to be in trouble either way, so I answered. "I...I s-s-aid...W-well, I don't remember what I said...word for word anyway..." He stepped to me quickly, looking like he was going to beat it out of me and I panicked. "I s-said you seem to pretend like you don't need anyone!" I blurted, flinching.

But no hit came.

When I opened my eyes, he was standing over me again. He was clearly still angry but his hand was frozen in midair. Like he wanted to slap me but couldn't. And his eyes...that weird violet...there was something there...

"Z-Zim...? Are you okay?"

His eyes changed again...like they became clearer. He visibly calmed, slowly lowering his hand and relaxing his shoulders. He looked off to the side, having some kind of inner monologue.

It was so weird seeing him so calm. I had seem Zim angry, bored, laughing evily...But this was the first time that I ever saw him so deep in thought. His features were so much more relaxed...And he was so close...

"Pretending..." His voice startled me and I listened, waiting for him to continue. "As if to suggest that what I want is to be around you people..." A bitter smile crossed his lips. "Such a stupid notion..."

"So...you really don't like being with others?"

He turned his eyes back to me. He seemed so...sad. "With humans?" He sighed. "Your species is so difficult...I find your customs difficult to understand because I'm and outsider. And yet...I find my own kind just as complicated because I don't know what they want from me..."

"Your...Your kind?"

He let out a joyless chuckle that made me shiver. "You really are clueless aren't you?" He reached his hand up to his face and I figured for a moment that he was pinching the bridge of his nose in frustration but instead he placed his finger in his eye. I was about to tell him to stop, but when he pulled back, it was revieled as a contact. He had that eye slip closed before I could see it as he removed the other one.

Then he opened them. And I gasped.

They were...beautiful. A deep magenta like color with pink dots that I assumed were kinda like pupils.

"Y-you're...really an alien?" I could hardly believe it. Dib was right for all those years!

"Not that anyone will believe you if you tell them...but yes..." He moved away, disappearing into a small room that lit up as soon as he stepped in.

Feeling lost on what else to do, I followed him in. It was a lot like an office...There was some weird monitor that was turned off on a desk, a floating chair shaped like a purple cresant made out of some weird metal and padded with pink material. There was also a counter with some disassembled parts. As I looked around, he sat down, placing his lenses on the desk.

I felt akward standing in the doorway, but I didn't want to invade his space. "Zim...Are you okay?"

"I will be," he replied. He moved his hands to his head, shuffling his hair around until two black stalks came loose, perking up past the wig. Anteneas..."But you should leave. I've already wanted to hit you once and I'd rather not have to go through the trouble of hiding your body,"

I frowned, instead moving to the corner of his desk and kneeling down, still careful not to invade his bubble. "But you don't seem like you wanna be alone right now. We're friends. You can talk to me,"

"About what?"

"What's bothering you,"

"You. You're bothering me,"

I blushed, embarrassed. "But...wh-what else?"

He scowled at me before muttering something.

"I...I couldn't hear that,"

He rolled his eyes. "My...leaders, I suppose..."

I perked up. If he was accepting my help, then that means we're officially friends, right? If I could make up for what I did, I wouldn't have to feel bad anymore! "What did they do?"

He shrugged. "They...told me I was banished."

I went wide eyed. "B-banished?! What for?"

"For being a defect." He leaned forward and turned his back a little towards me. "You see this?" When I nodded, he continued. "This is m PAK. Every Irken has one. It regulates everything we do. And mine is defective. That makes me a defect." He sighed and leaned back into his seat again. "I should be thankful. Usually defects are executed. And as much as I hate this planet...There are worse places to be banished. Like on Blorch..."

I had no idea how to respond. "Jeez, Zim. I'm so sorry! That was so mean of them!"

He smiled. "They could have been crueler,"

The room was taken over by tense silence and Zim let his eyes slip shut as he laid back completely. I couldn't stand to see him like this so I did the one thing I could think of.

I stood and hugged him.

I felt him stiffen at the contact, but he didn't push me away, He just stayed frozen. "When...When did it happen?"

"...Before you came...They called and told me,"

I tightened my grip. I showed up just in time to be the shoulder for him to cry on...Though I doubted that it would be literally. I could never picture Zim crying. "I'm sorry, Zim. I'm still here for you,"

He let out an amused sound and I felt him pat my arm. "I know...Thank you..."

I smiled. A thank you...He was happy with me! I relaxed, unwilling to let him go. It was the first time I had ever been allowed to touch him. He had grabbed me once to throw me out of his house...and he grabbed my chin earlier...but this was different. It was so much nicer. And I could actually feel his warmth...and he smelled...nice...

Before I realized it I was nuzzling against him and let out a sigh of happiness.

"Keef..."

I jumped, wondering if I did something wrong. "Y-yes?"

"Why are you moving your head against me like that?"

…."Uh...Because...I like you," That was honest enough.

"I see..."

"I can stop though...If it makes you uncomfortable," Not that I wanted to...

"No, it's fine. It's just we don't have such mannerisms on Irk. At least not among the Invaders..."

"But you hug, right?"

"Showing affection is forbidden among my kind, unless you aren't a part of the Invaders or Elite..."

"Oh..." That kinda sucked..."So you don't know anything about how people like eachother? Or love eachother?" He shook his head against me. I bit my lip before replying. "I could...I could teach you...If you want," What was I doing!? I'm gunna get killed.

"...I think that would be alright,"

I pulled away, surprised. "R-really?"

"Yes...I will need to learn all of these things now that I'm banished here. I want to be able to blend in..." He looked up at me, curiously. "This...affection...it is important among your kind, yes?"

I smiled, trying not to show my nervousness. "Strongest force on Earth,"

He nodded. "Then I should learn all I can,"

I gulped nervously. "Okay...w-well...first you should know..how to tell if someone likes you as a friend," He nodded, waching me closely. "Well...it's kinda like how I did. I spent a lot of time around you. I know where you live and what your pet's name is...And I did nice things for you," I smiled.

He looked thoughtful. "Ah...Like Gir..."

"Gir? Your dog?" That's a start...

"And Skooge..."

Skooge? "Is that...someone from your home planet?"

"We were in training together...The same age..."

I smiled, though a pain of jealousy tugged at me. "Well...Yeah, that soulds about right. And now that you understand friendship, there's-"

"Love,"

"Y-yes...Love..." I blushed darkly. "And love is...like friendship, but they notice everything. And they're there all the time. Like...living together usually and all that," Now that I was trying to explain it, I realized that I had no idea how to put it into words. How do you explain love?

"Live together?"

"Yeah, like...um...sleeping in the same room. Eating together and going places..."

"That was Skooge, too,"

I felt ice creep into the pit of my stomach. "Wh...what?"

Calmly he replied. "Skooge and I were assigned the same room. It was a small and simple place with beds that allowed us space to recharge our PAKs. Then we were also given time alloted to eat together. The rule was stay with your assigned partner,"

I sighed in releif. "Oh...No, not quite like that. I mean...it's close...But when you're in love, you aren't told you have to do it. You're with them all the time because you want to be,"

His eyes narrowed in confusion and he stayed quiet for a while. "So...like you,"

"L-like me?!"

"You followed me everywhere. You spent the night without my knowledge and then tried to make a meal for me in my kitchen,"

I turned dark red in embarrassment. "I..."

"So you love me?" He asked so calmly...so simply...I didn't have a clue how to respond.

"I...I g-guess you could say..." I was so lost for words...so dizzy...Was the room becoming hotter?

Zim stood suddenly as my knees about buckled and held me up, looking at me strangely. "Human, are you sick?"

I had gripped the front of his shirt, trying to gain my balance again, thankful that he was helping me steady myself. "Thank you...N-no, I'm fine..." I looked up at him, seeing him so close and I...

Before I could stop myself I pressed my lips to his.

His skin was so soft...But when he didn't respond, I pulled back, realizing what I'd done and ran out without saying another word.

What the hell had I done?!

Oooo

Zim POV

I wasn't sure what to do as the red-haired human ran out. Such a confusing creature. First he's sick and then he's fine?

I sighed, trailing my claws over my lips.

Was that some display of affection? A display of this...love?

"So different than when Dib did it..."

oooooooooooooooooooooo

lol an ending to make you all think

lol

plz review


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